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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: An Uninvited Guest
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Before she could make out the conversation, she might have nonchalantly dismissed it as ‘someone arguing’.
But as she listened, it became clear a squabble was unfolding that was impossible to ignore.
“Get out of my way, now!”
“My apologies. We were not informed of any expected guests.”
“Of course you weren’t! I came of my own accord after hearing the Young Master had returned.”
To so shamelessly admit to pounding on someone else’s door without notice.
*Is she practically taking an axe to the door?*
Even Lumina, who considered herself quite brazen, was impressed.
“I, Arabelle Piajet Epagonizomai Philoneikia von Rembrana, have arrived. Is it not your duty to welcome me? Open the gate this instant, and I shall forgive your sin of not prostrating yourselves.”
It was the kind of name that would leave one breathless, as if they’d just run a marathon.
Princess Arabelle must exercise regularly.
She recited her name in a single, unbroken stream, a testament to her lung capacity.
*That should be enough to make them understand, right?*
With that thought, Arabelle stared confidently at the gatekeeper.
“You may not enter.”
But the gatekeeper’s reply was firm.
The gatekeepers all had grim, intimidating faces.
They were built like boulders and each bore scars that told a story.
An ordinary person would have tucked their tail and fled.
But it seemed the word ‘quit’ was not in Princess Arabelle’s vocabulary.
She simply looked aghast, as if something utterly unthinkable had just occurred.
Then, a woman who appeared to be her handmaiden soothed the princess and spoke.
“Her Highness has come in person. Is this not exceedingly rude? No matter how powerful the ducal house, before the imperial family, you are all merely nobles.”
“Our priority is the Duke’s command.”
The inflexible answer came back.
The handmaiden frowned and demanded.
“Then summon the Duke.”
“The Duke is currently away.”
“When the tiger is away, the fox becomes king. How fitting.”
And so the gatekeepers, who were just foolishly and loyally following the Duke’s orders, were suddenly branded as foxes.
“If the Duke is not here, then call the Young Master and inform him that the princess has arrived! Surely you don’t intend to lie and say the Young Master is also away?”
“Very well.”
Unable to withstand the handmaiden’s badgering, one of the gatekeepers went to inform Karayan.
Watching the situation from a short distance, Lumina turned to Olivia and asked.
“Is it true that the princess is engaged to the Young Master?”
Arabelle Piajet Epagonizomai Philoneikia von Rembrana.
She was the youngest princess of the Rembrana Imperial Family.
The emperor had only three children, and Arabelle was the only Legion in the current imperial family, making her a celebrity of the empire.
*But I’ve never heard anything about her being engaged to the Young Duke, even searching through the memories of my past life.*
It was a union between the imperial family and a ducal house, no less.
It was strange that she knew nothing of it, as it would have been the talk of the town.
To this, Olivia shook her head.
“As far as I know, Princess Arabelle is actively pursuing an engagement, but nothing has been finalized.”
“But she just called herself his fiancée.”
“That is the princess’s one-sided claim.”
*Is that even possible?* she wondered, but seeing that arrogant personality, she thought it was entirely plausible.
Princess Arabelle, unable to wait any longer, was already throwing another tantrum.
Curious to see how things would unfold, Lumina stayed put and watched the scene.
Just then, her eyes met with the furiously enraged Arabelle’s.
*Oh?*
Arabelle’s sharp gaze swept over Lumina. Then she spoke to the gatekeeper in an accusatory tone.
“And who is that little brat? Judging by her clothes, she doesn’t seem to be part of the household staff. A guest?”
She seemed quite incensed that she was stuck stamping her feet outside the main gate while someone else was comfortably watching from within.
The gatekeeper glanced at Lumina and Olivia.
“She is the Duke’s ward.”
“A ward? I’ve heard nothing of the sort.”
For a moment, sparks flew from Arabelle’s eyes.
“You, standing there like an idiot. Come here.”
“Her Highness commands you! Why do you not approach at once?”
Arabelle beckoned to Lumina, and the handmaiden beside her went a step further, browbeating her.
“What will you do?”
A hint of amusement colored Olivia’s voice as she asked. She seemed to be enjoying the situation.
*Well, it’s not Olivia’s problem.*
It's mine...
Quickly accepting reality, Lumina approached Arabelle with Olivia’s support.
Arabelle watched Lumina’s slight limp intently.
“Greetings…”
“Is your leg always like that?”
Snap.
Arabelle cut Lumina off before she could finish her greeting.
It was an incredibly rude remark. A flash of irritation rose in Lumina, but she didn’t let it show.
Her opponent was royalty, after all.
If she ordered me to kneel, I’d have no choice.
“No. I was in an accident recently, which is why I present such an unseemly sight to Your Highness.”
“An accident?”
Arabelle frowned.
“Yes. A railing broke…”
“Heavens. How poorly must the staff manage the estate for such a thing to happen? This would never occur at the imperial palace.”
Arabelle cut her off again, muttering in disapproval.
She seemed somewhat agitated.
As if realizing she’d gone too far, she changed the subject with an, “In any case.”
“How did you come to be the Duke’s ward?”
Lumina couldn’t reveal that she was a healing Legion.
So what could she boast about that would make her worthy of being the Duke of Heart’s ward?
“From the looks of it, you don’t seem to have any special talents.”
That was right. She had none.
Lumina was just Lumina.
“Your face is rather bland, you don’t look very interesting. Are you a Legion, by any chance?”
“No.”
Lumina answered flatly to nip any suspicion in the bud.
“Hmm.”
Arabelle narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Lumina from head to toe.
Then she grinned.
*This feels ominous.*
Her eyes glinting wickedly, Arabelle lifted her chin arrogantly and commanded.
“I shall grant you the special opportunity to have tea with me.”
“Well? Why aren’t you expressing your gratitude? Tea with royalty is an honor you’ll never experience again in your life. Lead the way!”
Arabelle and her handmaiden were perfectly in sync.
Despite being uninvited guests, they created an atmosphere of pressure that Lumina couldn’t refuse.
*So she’s using me to get into the mansion.*
Compared to Lucius, who had the nerve to leave royalty standing at his gate, Lumina was less than a speck of dust.
She’d be lucky not to get swept away by the princess’s whim.
There was nothing to be gained by getting on the imperial family’s bad side.
“Yes, thank you.”
In the end, Lumina accepted.
Now Arabelle was Lumina’s guest, not the Duke’s. The gatekeepers stepped aside, looking as if they had no choice.
Olivia, who had been watching the whole time, whispered in Lumina’s ear.
“Shall I go get the Young Master?”
“Someone already went to get him.”
“He won’t come. The Young Master avoids the princess.”
“Then wouldn’t it be a waste of effort to call for him?”
“Still, you never know what might happen. The Young Master is the only one who can get rid of the princess, so I’ll try talking to him.”
As if to say ‘leave it to me,’ Olivia gave a wink.
“Since you have trouble walking, you will ride with me in the carriage.”
Olivia left to fetch Karayan, and Arabelle had Lumina board her carriage, as if doing her a great favor.
An awkward atmosphere filled the carriage as it crossed the garden.
“What is your name?”
“I am Lumina Lanshuss, the eldest daughter of Count Lanshuss.”
“Lumina Lanshuss? I’ve never heard of it.”
Arabelle said in a dismissive tone.
The Lanshuss family might not compare to the imperial or ducal houses, but they still had their own wealth and honor.
That’s why her relatives had flocked to her like starving dogs.
But Arabelle was dead set on belittling Lumina right then and there.
“It seems to be a minor house. Today will be a great honor for your parents. Go home and boast about it.”
“I do hope my parents would have considered it an honor, as you say. They passed away recently.”
Lumina replied with a smile.
It was a feigned response. What did she care if it was an honor or not?
But Arabelle flinched.
“Oh. My condolences.”
Lumina had thought Arabelle was just another Legion. But surprisingly, she seemed to be a Legion with a heart.
Compared to Lucius’s reaction when Lumina first mentioned her parents’ deaths, she was far more human.
“So, what is your relationship with the Young Duke of Heart?”
“There is no relationship to speak of.”
“Really? You’ve never met?”
“No.”
She had met Karayan twice, but Lumina had the sense to say she hadn’t.
Arabelle smiled, satisfied.
It seemed she was subtly wary of Lumina, who was around her age.
*If she found out the Duke offered me the position of his fiancée, she’d probably pull my hair out on the spot.*
I take back what I thought about Arabelle being a Legion with a heart.
“Your Highness. We have arrived.”
“Good. Was it Romeo? Let’s go inside and talk more.”
Romeo? What now?
Arabelle called her by the wrong name, as if Lumina’s real one wasn’t even worth remembering.
*And Romeo is a boy’s name, too.*
After getting out of the carriage, Lumina headed for the drawing room.
With Olivia gone, it was Arabelle’s handmaiden, Eva, who helped Lumina.
The other maids of the mansion tried to step in, but for some reason, Eva insisted on doing it herself.
*She’s up to something.*
Lumina’s suspicion was confirmed moments later when Eva showed her true colors.
As soon as they entered the drawing room, Eva shoved Lumina.
Thud—.
Lumina fell with a loud noise.
“Oh, my. I’m so sorry.”
“Heavens! Young Lady!”
Just then, a maid from the ducal house was wheeling in a trolley.
Parking the trolley next to Lumina, the maid rushed to check on her.
As if on cue, Eva pushed the teapot that was on the trolley.
Clang—.
The teapot fell right near Lumina’s legs.
Fortunately, the pot was sturdy and didn’t break, but not only had Lumina been knocked over by Eva, she was now soaked in tea.
“What are you doing!”
“My hand slipped. I made a mistake.”
The maid’s protest was met with nothing but a shameless retort.
It was a good thing the tea had been brought at a moderate temperature, considering Lumina was still young.
If it had been hot tea, it would have led to a serious accident.
“I suppose having tea with Her Highness is out of the question looking like this. You should go and wash up.”
Without wiping away the dripping tea, Lumina looked up at Eva.
Eva was smiling.
It was a clear sneer.
*Ah, so this is why they brought me here.*
Arabelle’s goal was to get into the mansion.
And now that she had achieved her goal, it was only natural to discard the tool she had used.
Lumina’s gaze darkened.
There was a limit to how much she would tolerate, even from royalty.
She may not have been able to refuse the invitation for tea, but she wasn’t enough of a pushover to just sit back and take this.
